St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-12-01
The POSTAL SERVICE.
An Abstract Of the Report Of
Postmaster General
Villas.
The Fiscal Year Marked Both
by Progress and Judi
ciouS Economy.
Interesting Statistics Regard
ing the Various Branches
Of the Service.
Over $4,000 PostmastePs Re-
ceive Appointments Dur
ing Twelve Months.
Special to the Globe.


The expectation of growth and i'm
prOvement in the affairs of the postal
service. INDUCED in previous reports,
has been realized during the past year.
In part arising from an extension of the
limits of mailable matter of the fourth
class ordered to meet the requirements
of trade-and from the receipts of the
special delivery service, but chiefly from
the greater employment of all postal
facilities consequent upon the rising
business prosperity of the country,
faithfully reflected in the postal service,
the revenues have gained upon the pre-
ceding year by nearly s, $40, 900, attain
ing height never reached before, de-
spite the restrictive operation of various
reductions in the rates of postage. Upon
the other hand. the study of economy
has not been without effect in restrain
ing the necessarily rising scale of eX-
penditure. so that the increase of cash
disbursements has but little OyerStepped
5000. Geo. Thus the deficiency charged
upon the general treasury, which two
years since was a round seven millions
and year ago but about seventy thou
sand less, has been reduced almost
three-seVenthS, while the fairy augury
from cur present circumstances gives
hope that during the current year it
will nearly if not entirely disappear. Ii
there shall remain at the year end any
EXCESS OF CASH EXPENDITURE
above receipts, il cannot but be much
less than the hostages upon the mail
matter of the government itself, eSti-
mated to be at least $2,000,000 annually,
and reasonably its debt to the postal
service 1t may, therefore, be fairly af-
fiTmed that from the beginning of the
current fiscal year the postal service has
again become substantially Self-SuStain-
ing: and the prediction be Yentured that
if the revenues be not further crippled
and only similar ratio of increasing
expenditure be held, the next fiscal year
will yield a surplus. which should, I'M
der the same conditions, annually i'll
crease. In this promising condition
special interests may be expected to
vigorously press for reduction in rates
of postage in some class of mail matter,
always of a SpeciOuS appearance of pop
ularity: indeed, their organization ''fOr
the Improvement of the postal service"
is already begun: bat the general inter
est will perhaps rather require that a re-
ductiOn of the rates of postage shall be
deferred to somewhat later period.
THE PRESENT JUNCTURE,
while postage taxation is cheap and fair,
and yet sufficient to promise coming
period of prosperity. apperS to afford a
favorable opportunity to direct the in
auguratiOn of measures of justice to
postal servants, of improvement in ap-
plianceS and methods, and of expansion
of facilities which experience has shown
to he desirable or an enterpriSing spirit
may conceive to be prudentIy worthy of
experiment. If measures to these ends
be taken with intelligent forecast and
skillful adaptation. can it be doubted
that our postal administration will be of
greater value to the cOuntry-SO vastly
benefited. indeed. that our people will
greatly prefer the continuance of the
present moderate postage rates in order
TO secure such gains without perception
of their cost? The prosperity of the
service is the prosperity of the post
offices. and the gains of the year are
marked in their advancement. The
number of Salaried offices at its begin
ming was. of the first class, 70; of the
second, 400: and of the third, 1,769; a
total of :. pa of the presidential classes.
By the annual review and readjuSt-
ment. based upon the returns of their
business for the four quarters ended
with March 81. 1887, it was disclosed
that on the LIST day of July the net gains
of the several classes were i'll the first,
81 in the second, and 30 in the third;
making respective totals of 81 in the
first. 435 in the second, and 1879 in the
third: in all, 1886, net increase of 81.
THIS SHOWING
indicates less than the real facts, be-
cause there were other offices entitled to
advancement from the fourth to the
third class, which, by delays in the nee
eSSary reports, were postponed until the
next quarter. And on the LIST of October
there were added to the third class ID
offices by assignment pursuant to law,
thus making the total number of the
third class. at the time of this report,
1864, and of all presidential offices
2,3Sl, the highest yet reached in the
history of the department. By this an
nual adjustment many salaries were
raised within the several classes, and
compensation of the presidential post
masters as then existing was fixed for
the current year at $3.50, 800, a net in
crease of Sl94,S00, Or ) per cent addi
tiOnal upon the adjustment of last year.
TIE FOURTH CLASS
comprised on the LIST day of July 52.S21
offices. the number having increased
during the year by l. 543-the establish
ments having been 3,043 and the discOn-
tinuanceS / 800. The new offices were
49, less than the previous year, the
number of that year being unusually
large because of an accumulation of un-
disposed of applications from the former
year. The number of discOntinuanceS
exceeded that of the former year by
$50, one of the good products of the SyS-
tematic inspection of fOurth-claSS offices
begun in accordance with the plan
discussed in the last report,
10y which the useless have
begun to be weeded out.
To bring the general figures up to a
more recent date, the whole number of
pOst-OfficeS on the 1St day of October
had become %, 43344, of which 2,3S1 were
salaried or presidential offices, distrib-
uted in classes as before mentioned,
and 53,053 were fourth class. Besides
these were 625 branch offices or stations,
an increase of twelve for the sale of
stamps only. OF the whole, S,0S9 were
mOney-Order offices and 10 mOney-order
stations.
THE APPOINTMENTS
of pOStmaSterS numbered altogether
during the fiscal year Il, 019, of which
6. SG3 were to fill vacancies happening
upon the expiration of commissions or
by designations; 1854 upon removals or
NuSptuSlOllSs OCJ ny Utdlils diIu O.O1O W
newly established offices. Among these
appointments, 1913 were upon your COM
mission to vacancies which happened
from the causes and in the respective
numbers following: By expiration of
commission, $50; by resignation, 122; by
removal or suspension, 237; by death,
80, and upon the assignment of fourth
class offices TO a presidential class, l45.
On the 9Th of March, 1885, the en-
tire number of the fourth-class
offices was 1907. The new estab-
IiShments since have been $3.50, of
which "A in the fiscal year 1885, 3,4S2 in
1856, and 3,043 in 1887; and the discOn-
tinuanceS in the corresponding periods
were -, l.l20. and 1,500, respectively, a
total of 1862, besides net addition to
the presidential classes of 109, leaving
the number in the fourth class on the
first day of July last, as stated, 1881.